Citing Sources

Footnotes and bibliographic citations credit the author and enable the reader to locate source material. As you compile and cite references, be sure to observe a consistent style -- that is, don't mix APA-style citations with MLA-style references, for example. Complete citations to online or electronic resources are also required in the same manner as for printed sources.

The major style guides are:

APA (American Psychological Association)

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2010. Copies of the latest edition are available in the Reference sections in Seymour Library and in the SMC Library, call number:  BF76.7 P83 2010.

See also these pages from the APA:

Guidelines for citing electronic sources from APA
APA Style tips
APA Style Lite

In addition, the online tutorial APA Exposed: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about APA Format but Were Afraid to Ask  from Harvard's Graduate School for Education is a very good place to begin learning about APA style.

Chicago Manual of Style

The 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style is the preferred style guide for  student papers in History at Knox (notes-bibliography format for references). This style manual also has a wealth of information about preparing a paper or manuscript.

The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the full text of the printed book as well as a Quick Guide to citation. The 16th edition of the book is also available in Seymour Library, call number: Reference Z253 U69 2010.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Call Number: Reference LB2369 .G53 2009

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue has an explanation of the MLA style with examples and links to other sites.

Turabian

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses,and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Call number: Reference LB2369 T8 1996.

Other style guides for electronic documents

Citation Guides for Electronic Documents from IFLA provides many links to different style formats.

Li, Xia and Nancy Crane. Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information. Westport: Meckler, 1993. Call number: Reference PN171.D37 L5 1993

Subject specific style guides

For citations in biology and biology related disciplines, the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style manual is the preferred referece: Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 7th edition, 2006. Call number: SMC Reference Z250.6 B5 S386 2006. There is also an abbreviated version of some of the elements of the style guide online.

For citations in chemistry, the American Chemical Society (ACS) style guide is preferred: ACS Style Guide: A manual for Authors and Editors, 2nd ed., 1997. Call number: SMC Ref QD8.5 A25 1997.

Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker is a web companion to the book of the same name. See the sections by discipline:

MLA Style: English and Other Humanities
APA Style: The Social Sciences
CSE Style: Biology and Other Sciences

For additional assistance in citing electronic information or selecting an appropriate format for your citations, please consult your instructor or a reference librarian.